It is important for diabetics to regularly check their own blood glucose level for controlling the blood glucose level. However, it is troublesome to frequently visit a medical institution for measuring the blood glucose level. In light of this, portable handheld blood glucose level measuring apparatuses are used, whereby diabetics can easily and conveniently measure the blood glucose level even when they are away from home, for example.
Basically such a portable blood glucose level measuring apparatus is used for controlling the blood glucose level by diabetics themselves based on the measurement results. However, even in such a case, it is preferable to regularly receive professional instructions from a doctor or a specialist, for example. For receiving instructions, the measurement results may need to be shown regularly to a specialist. For this purpose, a hard copy of the measurement data may need to be handed to the specialist, or the blood glucose level measuring apparatus may need to be brought to the medical institution to enable the specialist to access the data. After all, such methods also necessitate a visit to the medical institution, which is troublesome.
To avoid the above trouble, the measurement data stored in the blood glucose level measuring apparatus may be transmitted to a computer of the medical institution through telecommunication lines. However, a typical portable blood glucose level measuring apparatus does not have the function for telecommunications. Therefore, the blood glucose level measuring apparatus may be connected to a cell phone for inputting data into the cell phone and transmitting the data to a computer of a medical institution by e-mail, for example. To transmit the data stored in the blood glucose level measuring apparatus using the cell phone, data processing such as conversion of the data format is necessary. Therefore, the blood glucose level measuring apparatus is connected to the cell phone via a data communication adaptor capable of performing such data processing.
Generally, the portable blood glucose level measuring apparatus can store a plurality of pieces of measurement data (e.g. 120 pieces) so that the patient can observe the change of the measurement data. However, the portable blood glucose level measuring apparatus generally does not have the function of outputting particular pieces of measurement data selected from the stored measurement data, or outputting only new data without outputting old measurement data which has been outputted before. The cell phone does not have such a function, either. Therefore, when measurement data is to be transmitted using the cell phone, a large amount of data including those previously transmitted to the computer of the medical institution are inputted into the cell phone and transmitted to the computer of the medical institution. As a result, a relatively long time is taken for transmitting the measurement data, which results in high communication charge.
Such a problem is not limited to the case where the data stored in the blood glucose level measuring apparatus is transmitted through the cell phone but occurs similarly in the case where data is transmitted from an information processing apparatus which does not have the telecommunication function to another information processing apparatus having the communication function.
As shown in FIG. 8, a data communication adaptor includes an adaptor body 70, a first terminal 71 for connection to an output terminal 80 of a blood glucose level measuring apparatus 8, and a second terminal 72 for connection to an input terminal 90 of a cell phone 9. In the illustrated data communication adaptor 7, the first terminal 71 is connected to the adaptor body 70 via a flexible cable 73. This structure is employed to provide elasticity (flexibility) between the data communication adaptor 7 and the blood glucose level measuring apparatus 8 when the cell phone 9 and the blood glucose level measuring apparatus 8 connected to each other via the data communication adaptor 7 are placed on a desk, for example.
By connecting the first terminal 71 to the blood glucose level measuring apparatus 8 using the cable 73, the convenience in handling can be enhanced. However, when the adaptor is not in use, the cable 73 extending out from the adaptor body 70 for connection to the first terminal 71 makes it difficult to store the adaptor. Further, since a conductor portion 71a of the first terminal 71 is always exposed, dust may adhere to the conductor portion due to the generation of static electricity. When the first terminal 71 in such a state is connected to the output terminal 80 of the blood glucose level measuring apparatus 8, the electric circuit of the blood glucose level measurement apparatus 8 may be broken.
Such a problem is not limited to the case where the blood glucose level measuring apparatus 8 and the cell phone 9 are connected via the communication adaptor 7 but occurs similarly in the case where other two information processing apparatuses are connected via the communication adaptor 7.